


wrap my flesh in ivy and in twine

by Jemima_Puddleduck



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005), Gallifrey (Big Finish Audio)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Major Character Injury, Sickfic, Telepathy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-16 07:00:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28827075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jemima_Puddleduck/pseuds/Jemima_Puddleduck
Summary: Set immediately post ‘Erasure’, Narvin brings an injured Leela back to the Citadel and waits with her until she wakes.Title from ‘Below My Feet’ by Mumford and Sons.
Relationships: Leela & Narvin (Doctor Who), Leela (Doctor Who)/Narvin (Doctor Who)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 10





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [delicatelyglitterywriter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/delicatelyglitterywriter/gifts).



> _‘Just give me time  
>  When you know your desires and mine  
> So wrap my flesh in ivy and in twine  
> For I must be well‘_

Narvin wasn't used to seeing Leela like this. He knew humans were vulnerable, of course; having no ability to regenerate and only one heart was always going to be a weakness, but he never expected to see the woman he knows as a fierce warrior in such a fragile state. Leela was the one who had dragged him to safety and saved his life immediately after being blinded, she was the one who could bring down five men twice her size relying only on sound. The fact that he was watching over her unconscious, broken body felt like an impossibility to Narvin. He had taken on Leela's own confidence, her unshakeable belief that she would never fail in a fight. This self belief so alien to the Time Lords had given her an air of immortality, one that had been abruptly broken for Narvin as he watched her fall to her knees, her head slamming into the floor. He closed his eyes and sucked in a shaky breath, attempting to shove the image of Leela sinking to the ground from his mind, yet he could still vividly remember the sight of her blood seeping into the red grass as she stared up at him with wide, terrified eyes. He thinks he was shouting as she fell unconscious, but he can't be sure, all he remembers is his feeling of blind panic as he scooped Leela up and carried her into the basement of Heartshaven. 

Narvin could still feel the tacky residue of Leela's blood on his fingers, where he'd pressed desperate fingers to her bleeding scalp, trying to hold her together until help arrived. As he balled his hands into fists, trying to stop the tremor in his fingers, he wondered if the story he'd told of his meeting with the Doctor had been more intended to comfort himself rather than Leela. Blood stained nails bit uncomfortably into his palms as he forced his shaking hands to still, and he concentrated on the pain, hoping a new focus would suppress the panic rising in his chest. He was suddenly finding it more difficult to breathe, and almost wanted to run, as he often did from anyone likely to make a lasting emotional impression on him, yet the thought of parting with Leela in this state, even for a second, made him feel physically ill.

'Why are you crying?' A gentle voice asked. Narvin opened his eyes and looked down at Leela. She was finally conscious, but only just, her eyes were drooping, and she didn't move, her limbs apparently still too weak to lift. 

Narvin wiped his tears hurriedly, hoping she would forget what she'd seen. 'I'm just worried about you, that's all.'

Leela laughed bitterly, then hissed through her teeth at the burning pain that seared through her body with the movement. 'Why would you care?' Narvin opened his mouth, but couldn't answer. Instead he settled for taking her weak hand in his. Leela's eyes widened at the touch; Time Lords never initiated physical contact like this with her, _especially_ not Narvin. She tried to meet his gaze, but his eyes were firmly fixed to his shoes. 

'You do care about me?' She said in hushed tones, watching as Narvin shuffled uncomfortably. 'You have a strange way of showing it.' She gazed up at him with wide, sad eyes, and one glance was enough to make Narvin's own eyes swim. He glanced away again hurriedly, trying his best not to cry, opting instead to squeeze Leela's hand in what he hoped was a comforting gesture. 

'I was just worried about you Leela, you're the most experienced fighter we have.' He told her, attempting to sound more practical than emotional. His watery eyes, which had threatened to betray the true extent of his worry for Leela, were now under control as Narvin assumed an air of emotional indifference. His cool exterior couldn't have been further from the truth, he couldn't stand to see Leela incapacitated and clearly in pain. He wanted to bundle her up into his arms just as he had done while he waited for rescue, he wanted nothing more than to hold her close and keep her safe from the ruthless world beyond the citadel. However, he understood that Leela wouldn't want his pity, or his impossible promises of safety, so he pushed the thoughts roughly aside. 

As Narvin's thoughts wandered, Leela shifted uncomfortably in her bed. She was slowly getting more and more restless, until she began letting out quiet whimpering noises. Narvin didn't notice at first, still trying to process the revelation that he liked Leela far more than he'd previously allowed himself to recognise. He was desperately trying to slow down his thumping heartsrate; _surely_ Leela could hear it. She spoke, breaking his panicked daze. 'Whatever you have given me to ease pain, it is not working.' 

Narvin hastily began rifling through the drawers and cupboards around the room, hoping to find some more effective medicine, but mainly glad that he could finally be of real use. A good bedside manner was not one of Narvin's strong suits. He retrieved some tablets from a nearby cupboard that should be stronger than whatever the medics had administered. Leela swallowed the offered pills gratefully, and that worried Narvin still further. Leela never took pills from the medics on Gallifrey, no matter how severe her injury was, she somehow always found the strength to bear it.

'I see you've revised your opinion on our 'disgusting chemicals'.' he observed, half joking, and half terrified that her acceptance of the pills meant her pain was likely far worse than she was letting on. She didn't reply as Narvin handed her a glass of water. Her hands were shaking as she drank. When she was done, he took the cup from her, allowing his fingers to linger on hers. She used what strength she had to grip his hand tightly in her own, and stared up at him with wide, soft eyes in a silent plea for him to stay. He sat down heavily on the chair beside the medi-dias, trying to think of something to say to her. He should be comforting and reassuring, but the words simply wouldn't appear. How could he reassure her, when he had come so close to losing her? 

'It hurts.' She whispered pitifully. Her voice sounded so weak, Narvin almost couldn't believe it was hers. 

'The medicine should start working soon. The pain will fade, I promise.' He replied softly, his hearts breaking as he watches her breaths stutter painfully in her chest. She opened her mouth to speak again, but changed her mind. Narvin saw this, and rubbed his thumb softly across the back of her hand, attempting to get her to relax. She finally finds the courage to speak, but it comes out in a hoarse whisper.

'I'm frightened Narvin.' 

He doesn't know how to respond. His hand unconsciously tightened around hers, as if he was trying to forcibly remove her distress. She took a few moments, still struggling to breathe, and continued.

'I was frightened, when I heard you crying out my name. I knew it must be serious, I have never seen your face like that before.' She said softly. Narvin silently cursed himself, he had been screaming, acting like an over sensitive time tot and she had _heard_ him. 

'It frightened me too.' He admitted, actually daring to glance at her and watching as her eyes widened. She was beginning to realise the true extent of his affection for her, and seeing the realisation in her eyes made him want to pack all of his feelings for her neatly away and throw them into the deepest recesses of his mind. However, this time he felt he owed to her to show it, she was scared, and he had to be brave. 

'I feel as if I have failed, I should not have fallen, I should not have been frightened at all.' Leela said, with venom in her voice. Hot angry tears were pricking her eyes and in that moment she hated herself for being so weak. 

'You almost died Leela. It's okay to feel scared.' Narvin said, his voice unrecognisably gentle, even to his own ears. Leela's tears spilled over onto her cheeks. Narvin wondered for a moment if he had just made things spectacularly worse, but the way Leela gasped in pain as she moved to curl closer to him, and the way she clutched his hand tightly to her chest, confirmed that maybe she didn't want to kick him out of the room just yet. He could feel her frantic heartbeat under his fingers, and it was matched in double time in his own ears. 

Now he was closer, more skin touching skin, he could feel the vague telepathic energies radiating from Leela. Her fear washed over him, spilling out from her mind, left wide open in her distress. Instinctively, Narvin pressed his own mind to hers. He wondered if she would consider his presence in her head an unforgivable interference, but he reasoned that he couldn't simply sit there and watch her distress when he possessed the power to ease it. He slipped gently inside her mind and she gasped, throughly unused to the sensation. 

_Hush Leela._ He whispered into her mind, and she calmed for a moment. He could feel her thoughts as she processed everything that was happening to her. However, once she had adjusted to the presence of Narvin in her mind, the fear, pain and distress came flooding back in around the momentary distraction. Narvin was almost pushed out with the barrage of disordered thoughts, since he was generally used to communing with organised time lord minds, prepared for telepathic contact. He was almost overwhelmed by the uncontrolled thoughts seeping into his own mind and melding with his terror, yet he stood his ground, and set about slowly removing fear after fear, projecting every soothing thought he could imagine into her mind. She sighed gratefully as she was given flashes of Gallifrey's spectacular golden sunset, and a view of the stars slowly drifting above the Citadel. She could smell the plants blossoming in the botanic gardens and the soft trickle of water from the fountain in the main square. She smiled at the realisation that Narvin had used thoughts of nature to soothe her, he clearly knew her better than she gave him credit for. Finally, he projected the feeling of a perfect deep sleep into the centre of her mind, and held her hand as her eyes fluttered closed.

'Rest now Leela.' He said softly, slipping out of her mind. 'You're going to be just fine.' 

Leela had the ghost of a smile on her face as she slept, and Narvin almost laughed as recalled how he had described her smile as 'devastating' while she had lain unconscious in his arms. He was truly thankful that he would see that excited grin again. 

Finally, he breathed a shaky sigh of relief, knowing for sure that Leela would be recovered very soon, and his work was done. Some niggling thought at the back of his mind reminded him of how genuinely broken he had been in those dread filled microspans where he thought he had lost Leela for good, and he was scared to consider how deep these newly realised feelings really went but, for now, he pushed them aside for another day. He was exhausted, and decided that he could afford a few microspans to nap in the chair beside Leela before he went back to work. He told himself firmly that it was definitely not because he wanted to keep holding her hand, yet his fingers were still entwined with hers as his eyes slipped closed.


	2. Chapter 2

The medical centre lights were off as Narvin approached it. He had taken to visiting Leela every evening after work, before going back to sleep in his own quarters. Sometimes he simply fell asleep next to Leela in the chair by her medi-dias, but he reasoned with himself that since the medical centre was closer to the CIA building than his own rooms, it was just a matter of practicality. He reached the door and opened it slowly, his eyes adjusting to the dark within. Leela was sound asleep in her bed, breathing heavily. She was always asleep when he visited, and as he settled himself in the chair beside her, he realised that to her, it must look like he hadn't visited at all. He ignored the dull ache in his hearts at that thought, and firmly told himself that of course she wouldn't have missed him at all. 

As he relaxed, Narvin's thoughts drifted back to the last conversation they'd had, with Leela's pained, panicked face swimming into his mind unbidden. He took a few deep, calming breaths, repressing the sense of panic rising in his chest. This state of anxiety had been near-constant in Narvin since the day Leela was hurt, and he suddenly found he spent most of his work days, and his nights, trying to ignore the urgent painful squeeze in his chest every time he thought of her. He hated to admit it, but the only real sleep he'd had since that day was the previous restless night he'd spent in the chair next to Leela's medi-dias. 

Being able to check on her at any time, the ability to be certain that she was okay, was the only comfort Narvin seemed to find. He sought out this comfort, while at the same time hating the fact that he needed it. He hated himself for becoming so emotionally dependant on another person without even realising it. Once upon a time, he would have been able to keep every emotion in check, shut out every outside influence. He really was going soft. On instinct, he reached out a hand to hold hers. Feeling her rough skin on his, taking hold of the physical proof that she was there and breathing and alive, relaxed Narvin more than anything else. Absently he rubbed his thumb across her palm, closing his eyes and feeling truly contented for the first time in days. 

Leela's hand squeezed back, softly, sleepily. ‘Narvin is that you?’ She asked, her words slurred with sleep. 

Narvin tensed, not quite knowing what to say to her. It was only just dawning on him how bad it must look to not visit during the day, and simply turn up in the middle of the night. Not to mention that he was _touching_ her without asking. He dropped her hand quickly. ‘Yes it's me.’ He said softly, almost guiltily. 

‘I did not know you were scheduled to visit.’ She said, and he could just make out the sarcastic smile on her face in the darkness. ‘Have you done this often?’

‘Done what?’ Narvin said, stammering slightly. Why he was still trying to cover for himself he didn't know, it apparently his CIA training went out the window as soon as Leela was involved. 

‘Do you often creep in at night to hold my hand?’ She asked. She was trying to sound amused, but he could hear the genuine softness in her words, and for a moment Narvin dared to wonder if she really had missed him. 

‘Maybe once or twice.’ He admitted sheepishly. Leela's expression softened as she smiled at him. 

‘This morning a medic told me she had seen you sneaking out of this room before I awoke. I thought she was lying, trying to amuse me, but now I believe she may have been telling the truth. Did you really sleep in this chair all night?’ She asked gently, her breath catching in her throat. Narvin didn’t respond, hardly daring to look at her. Wordlessly, he reached for her hand once more. Leela took it, giving his palm a soft, comforting squeeze. His hand was tense, and Leela guessed from the way he sat bolt upright in the chair, as if called to attention, that he was entirely uncomfortable.  
‘It was nice of you to sit with me Narvin.’ She whispered, stroking his hand. ‘Thank you.’ 

She watched as he nodded in the dark, acknowledging her thanks. He finally turned to look at her. ‘I just- I couldn’t get any sleep while I knew you were stuck in here all by yourself, I can’t help but feel responsible.’

Leela laughed, then winced as the movement disturbed her bruises. ‘You, responsible for my injury? Narvin, believe me when I say that the only thing you are responsible for is saving my life. You do not need to worry about that.’ 

Narvin looked as if he were about to open his mouth and argue, but thought better of it. His hand relaxed in Leela’s and she smiled at the knowledge her words had taken effect. She stared at him for a moment, considering, before saying. ‘I know that chair is uncomfortable, if you are planning on sleeping well tonight, you should lie on the medi-dias beside me.’

Narvin was speechless, not able to think of a single sentence that could be deemed an appropriate response. He could count on one hand the amount of people he had shared a bed with, and none of those encounters had been remotely emotionally charged as this. Leela sensed his panic and let go of his hand, allowing him to move away if he wanted to. She fully expected to be rejected, sharing beds purely for comfort wasn’t something time lords generally did, but she felt she had to ask. She would be lying if she said she didn’t miss having someone to hold onto in the dark. 

Narvin stared at her for what seemed an eternity, clearly fighting an internal battle between his head and hearts. His hearts won, and he motioned for Leela to shuffle over. She did, trying not to hiss with pain as she moved, so as not to scare him away again. He crawled under the bedcovers beside her, still fully clothed in his robes. Leela would have preferred he take them off to sleep, but even she knew that requesting that was a step too far. Hesitantly, she shuffled closer to him, entwining their hands once more. She was being careful, not wanting to invade his personal space, and was totally unprepared for Narvin to be the first to pull them closer. He snaked an arm over her waist, gentle enough not to hurt her, but firm enough to be comforting. Leela couldn’t help but think of Andred, but recently those memories of their shared bed had only caused her pain. She decided to concentrate on the present, Narvin’s arm over her, his hand splayed protectively across her back, his fast breathing betraying his still lingering nerves. 

Refusing to fight her instincts any longer, she curled herself around him, pulling him close and laying her head on his chest. She could hear the frantic pattern of four in his heartbeats, and half expected him to pull away, but instead he brought his head down to nestle against her shoulder. He could hardly believe that he really had Leela in his arms, he was utterly overwhelmed with the intense pent up emotions he’d been repressing for the best part of a week and he knew she could feel it in the painful hammering of his hearts. He moved his free hand to stroke her hair, avoiding the place where she’d cracked her skull as she fell, and the repetitive movement soothed him. She hummed pleasantly in response, nuzzling closer to his chest. Narvin was absolutely terrified of what he felt for Leela, and he was even more scared of what this new development between them might mean for the future. However, for now, all he knew was that he had never been so contented in all his lives as he was in Leela’s arms, feeling her strong arms encircling him, breathing in her scent. He never wanted to let go. 

They lay together in silence for a long while, simply enjoying the moment, and adjusting to the way their entire worlds had shifted in the space of a few microspans. They were beginning to drift off to sleep when Leela spoke. ‘Narvin?’ 

‘Mmm?’ He questioned sleepily.

‘Thank you.’ She whispered 

She wasn’t specific in what her gratitude was for, but Narvin had a feeling it wasn’t just about him saving her life. He knew that to her, this embrace was just as important, and he smiled, pulling her sleepy form closer to his chest with the warm realisation that he felt just the same.


End file.
